The Pittsburgh Steelers made a solid selection in the first round of the draft Thursday night, taking DL Derrick Harmon. The Oregon product is an exciting prospect the Steelers were clearly happy to take as he fills a major need. However, their lack of action at the QB position has frustrated many, especially ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. During ESPN’s pre-draft coverage on Friday, the Steelers’ 2025 win total on ESPN Bet was listed at 8.5, and it gave Kiper yet another opportunity to bang the drum for QB Shedeur Sanders, who fell out of the first round of the draft.
“I’m gonna take the Steelers’ under,” Kiper said. “I like some of the things they’ve done. DK Metcalf, we’ve got three young offensive lineman we like. But Mason Rudolph, right now, is the starting quarterback. So I’m gonna say, until we see what happens with Shedeur Sanders and what they can do the rest of the draft, I’ll go under on the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
The 8.5-win total feels low for a Steelers team that won 10 a year ago. Especially considering that they lost their last five. However, Kiper isn’t wrong that Rudolph would be the starter right now. That’s not exactly the scenario the Steelers would have envisioned heading into the offseason.
There is still plenty of time until training camp begins in late-July. The Steelers reportedly asked Aaron Rodgers for a decision before the draft. They obviously didn’t get one. But the fact that they went for Harmon with essentially every QB available signals a decent level of confidence that they will eventually land Rodgers.
There are also six more rounds still to go. Aside from Jaxson Dart, every other QB they’ve had their eyes on has fallen to Day 2. The Steelers don’t have a second-round pick, but in the third round there should still be some solid options.
Kiper was especially critical of the Steelers for passing on Shedeur Sanders in the first round. He apparently carried some of that same angst into Friday as well. He thinks it would be “ridiculous” if the Steelers are lucky enough to have Sanders drop to them in the third.
“If he falls to [No.] 83 in their lap, and they don’t have a second-round pick ’cause they gave it up for DK Metcalf, that’s ridiculous,” Kiper said. “To let him get to the Pittsburgh Steelers at [No.] 83, you gotta be kidding me.”
All things considered, the Steelers passing on Sanders shows that they aren’t really valuing the QB position as highly as some expected. Passing on one in the first and not making much of an effort to move into the second round really makes it feel like they’re counting on Rodgers. Pittsburgh could take a QB in the third round, though. And with the way Sanders is falling so far, it might be more realistic than we think.
